Lisa Hannigan has succeeded mightily as a collaborator: The Irish singer-songwriter first broke through singing alongside Damien Rice on his first two albums, then later performed on Steven Price's Oscar-winning score for the movie Gravity. But Hannigan's solo records — 2008's Sea Sew and 2011's Passenger — are uniformly lovely, as well, proving that she's always deserved a spotlight of her own.
On August 19, Hannigan will release her third album, At Swim. In a sense, it finds the singer inhabiting the best of both worlds: At Swim is unmistakably a solo project, but it also allows her to bounce ideas off a new producer, The National's Aaron Dessner. Together, they craft a moodily gorgeous collection of songs about longing and alienation — appropriate for a singer who'd been struggling to adjust to life after relocating to London.
This first taste of At Swim, "Prayer For The Dying," showcases Hannigan's considerable gift for slow-burning melancholy. Setting her lustrous voice against a backdrop of piano, slide guitar and swooning backing vocals, the song sways sweetly for four and a half languid, hypnotic minutes.
At Swim Track Listing
At Swim comes out August 19 via ATO.
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